The Coed on the Quad
by jremme
Summary: Booth and Bones go undercover as non-traditional college students to help catch someone murdering girls in a physics class. Possible BB later on.
1. First day of school

**A/N: I hate getting new ideas when I've already got a lot on my plate. Alas, it happens. I know I said I had another idea for a supernatural type fic, but I still have a lot of kinks to work out plot wise. That said, I'm starting this one instead, the idea of which came to me while I was driving to my classes. I'd like to dedicate it to CSI-4077, since she, like me, loves school. The chapters may be a bit shorter than my other fics but that's because I won't have as much time to write. Usually, a chap takes me about two hours, and I just don't think I'll be able to spare that long, but you never know. Hope you all like it! As always, please let me know if it's worth continuing, and enjoy!**

**The co-ed on the quad**

**Chapter 1: First day of school**

College sophomore Sarah Brightman had spent the night with her boyfriend. Not a rare occurrence by any stretch of the imagination, but it was rare for it to occur on a Monday night. She had an early bio class that started in an hour, and although she loved Blake dearly, she was not going to shower in a guys' bathroom. The mere thought was nausea inducing. She hurried through the early morning fog, deciding to bypass the sidewalk path that wound around campus in favor of the shortcut across the quad. The curfew was still in effect for another hour, but she didn't have far to go.

She felt safe, despite the fact that the body of Janie Harmon had been found a month before. Sarah shivered. The media reports claimed that the police had a suspect in custody, but the curfew was still being implemented by the university board; just to be safe, they said. She turned her thoughts away from the death, and back to her goal of a hot shower. Hopefully the bathroom on her floor wouldn't be too busy with activity. Morning showers were, oddly enough, when she did her best thinking. The biology exam was coming up and she wasn't nearly ready.

Her inner musings were cut short as she tripped on something and went flying into the soft wet grass. After getting over the shock of falling and pulling herself into a sitting position, Sarah looked around for the object she'd tripped on. Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came forth. She scooted backward as quickly as she could before stumbling to her feet and running back to Blake's dorm. She had tripped over a body. More specifically, the body of Danielle Rivers, a girl who lived in the dorm across from her own. It was happening again.

* * *

Seeley Booth looked at his class schedule with a scowl on his face. He still didn't see why he needed to take four courses. The two girls had been in the same physics class. One class. He should've only needed to attend the one class. It made sense. But, no, instead he had…he peered at the schedule. Physics I, Biology I, Acting I, and US History after 1865. When he'd been asked to take the undercover assignment, he'd been reluctant. A college campus wasn't high on his list of places to be. But, upon seeing the photos of the victims and hearing how the police were at a dead end, he'd given in.

It was simple enough. Go to classes, do the reading; in short, assimilate. The two girls hadn't had anything in common besides their gender and being in the same class. Both were from different backgrounds, lived in different dorms, looked different. There had been no other connection. So, he'd decided to keep watch on the other females in the class and see if anything stood out as the investigation progressed.

The medical examiner had concluded the most recent death, like the last one, to have been caused by blunt trauma to the head, not believed to have taken place where the bodies were found. There were signs of sexual assault on both, but no rape. Physics. Great. How hard could it be? His feet remained rooted to the spot in front of the physics building.

He reached around to his backpack, sifting through the contents until he came up with a file. It contained the statement of Sarah Brightman, who had found Danielle Rivers. He read it over again, although he'd studied it so many times before he nearly had it memorized. She had tripped over the body, ran to her boyfriend's dorm and contacted the police from there. It was all cut and dry.

No more avoiding. He'd have to go in. Then it was off to the dorm he'd been assigned to go over the file again and do whatever reading the instructor assigned. Booth rolled his eyes. He could assimilate without reading physics textbooks and having a full course schedule. But, not his choice. That had been made perfectly clear. He glanced at the schedule again. After physics, he'd have two hours free before Biology. He slung the backpack over his shoulder and went through the double doors into the building.

The classroom he needed was on the third floor. He got into the elevator, following several other students, one who looked about his age, and one that looked about fifteen years older. One looked about twelve, reminding Booth briefly of Sweets. At least he wouldn't be seeing him for awhile. That brought a grin to his face, which faded as he thought of someone else he wouldn't be seeing for awhile. If he were to be perfectly honest with himself, he missed Bones already. This was her element. She'd probably dive right in. But, her expertise hadn't been needed and he couldn't justify bringing her along. She hadn't been happy, of course, and after the usual arguing, she'd given in to his point. She wasn't needed.

The doors opened on the second floor and the Sweets wannabe left. Upon reaching the third, the three remaining occupants exited and went their separate ways. Booth stopped at room 318. This was it. He hoped he wouldn't fall asleep. He opened the door and strode in, stopping dead in his tracks at the sight before him.

Temperance Brennan sat at a desk in the front row, a notebook and pen in front of her and a backpack on the floor next to her. She looked up at his entrance and gave him a smug smile.

**A/N: Well, what do you think? I know, not much action, but I had to set the tone. I'm very unsure about case fics but this idea formed in my head, so I'm hoping I do all right with it. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Physics 101

**A/N: Thanks to all who R&R'd. I've decided to go ahead and continue this. Please try to be patient with me when it comes to updating. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2: Physics 101**

"Bones, what the hell are you doing here?" he hissed through clenched teeth, taking the empty seat beside her. The class was relatively small, about twenty people, the majority of whom were male.

"I'm taking a class, what does it look like?" she whispered back. "You should know better by now than to leave me behind on something like this. Now, hush, here comes the instructor."

"Couldn't you at least have sat in the back?"

"No."

The professor introduced himself as Dr. Hawthorne and began his lecture. Booth was lost from the start. He didn't have a prayer. The only words he understood were 'science' and 'difficulties'. He choked back a yawn and glanced over at Brennan, who was furiously scribbling notes. He turned to his own notebook, and jotted down a note of his own.

_Really, why are you here? We discussed this._

He passed it to her and a moment later received a reply.

_I told you already. Besides, you might need me. You don't know what's going to happen._

"I assume you're writing something relevant to the study of physics in your note Ms. Tylor?"

Brennan's head snapped up. "Of course." She then asked a clarifying question using words Booth had never heard before and he zoned out again.

After the lecture had ended, and the insane number of pages to read assigned, Booth caught Brennan in the hallway outside the room.

"How did he know who you were?"

"Oh, I met with him before class. He's quite knowledgeable."

"He's teaching the class. I would hope so."

She got a curious look in her eyes and went behind him, digging around in his backpack and coming up with his course schedule. They were in all the same classes of course, she had made sure of that, but she wanted to see the name he'd registered under.

"Riley Jordan?"

"It's a name Bones. What's yours? Something Tylor."

"Leslie Tylor. I took it from two famous anthropologists. Tylor was…"

"Dead scientists. I gotcha. Look, I got two free hours before I gotta suffer through Biology, and I need to settle into my dorm room. My stuff's already there, but I need to unpack." He still couldn't believe he had to live in a dorm. But, as had been pointed out to him, it made more sense. He could do a better job being on campus than off.

"I'll go with you. What building are you in?"

"Field."

"I'm in Brook. According to my map, they're across the quad from each other. Do you have a roommate?"

"I snagged a double room, but no, just me."

"I have one. Her name is Samantha. I'm supposed to call her Sam. She's very nice. She reminds me a little of Angela only more…outgoing. We're polar opposites, but I think it'll work out."

"That's good."

They headed out of the building and began walking across the campus. "So what's the plan?" Brennan asked.

"Plan?"

"Yes, I'm assuming you have some sort of plan."

"My _plan_ is to keep an eye on the other girls in the physics class for now and assimilate. The local cops are questioning suspects on their end. My main job, and I do mean _my_, is to make sure this doesn't happen again until they make an arrest."

"So you're playing bodyguard to seven undergrads?"

"That about covers it. And it's eight."

"I only counted seven girls in that class Booth. Was someone absent?"

"No. I meant you. You're female and you're in the physics class. As of now, you fit the victim profile."

"I don't need a bodyguard Booth. I'm perfectly capable of defending myself. And I'm not an undergrad."

"You're not, but Leslie Tylor is."

They arrived in front of the Union, and immediately noticed trouble. A tall, burly looking guy had a girl up against the wall of the building and was yelling in her face. A group of guys were crowded around, not participating, but not breaking it up either. The girl, for her part, had her hands up in front of her, shielding herself in case the angry words turned to blows.

She yelled at him to leave her alone, but it had no effect. The man raised his hand, ready to strike her across the face. He was stopped by a strong hand gripping his wrist tightly, pulling him away from the scared redhead.

"What do you think you're doing?"

He tried to wrench his hand out of Booth's grasp, but had no success.

Seeing this wasn't someone he should mess with, he met Booth's eyes briefly before glaring at the girl, still pressed against the wall. "She broke up with me! You think I could stand for that?"

"I don't think you have a choice. Now, the lady asked you to leave her alone."

Releasing his hold, he watched as the guy strode off, still glaring. Looking at his face, Booth recognized him from class. He made a mental note to call the local police once he was in his dorm room. They should question him. He turned to the girl. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Thank you so much. Jake was going to hit me, I can't believe it." She looked at Booth with wide eyes and a captivating smile and Brennan, observing the whole thing, could recognize that look even if Booth was clueless. "I'm Erica Timmerman. You're in physics with me, aren't you? With Dr. Hawthorne?"

"Yea. Riley Jordan."

Her smile grew, if that were possible. "Nice to meet you. And thanks again. If you hadn't come along and saved me when you did…"

"Someone else would have," Booth broke in. He glanced at the other guys, who were still standing around. One came forward.

"Hey, nice moves. None of us really had the balls to stand up to Jake." He held out his hand. "Brad Runyan. You a…non-traditional student then?" he asked, taking in the fact that Booth was older than any of them.

Booth shook the hand. "Something like that. What's Jake's last name?"

"Schrader. He's kind of a jerk, but hey, teammates gotta stick together I guess."

"Football?"

"Basketball. Hey, a bunch of us are going out to the bar down the street tonight. You wanna come? You can bring your girl." He gestured at Brennan. Erica's face turned pink at his words.

"Oh, we're not…" Booth trailed off, glancing at Brennan. He considered the offer. This was a good way to assimilate, get in good with the basketball team. And it sounded a hell of a lot better than spending the evening with his nose in various textbooks. "Sounds good. I'll be there."

Brad nodded. "Excellent. Catch you later." He turned and headed into the Union, followed by Erica and the rest of the team.

"That girl likes you," Brennan commented as they continued their walk.

"She's just grateful Bones."

"I saw that look on her face Booth, and she blushed when Brad made the assumption that we were involved."

"You think too much. She could be in trouble. I'll talk to her tonight at the bar and see if I can get anything out of her regarding Jake." He stopped in front of his dorm building. "This is me. I'll see you in Biology."

"Booth, wait." He turned back to her. "You're not bitter about me just showing up, are you? I really think I could help."

"I know that. It's ok. I just…worry about you being in danger."

"Well, don't."

"Are you going to come?"

"Where?"

"To the bar tonight. You could observe and see if you notice anything."

"I should do the reading. Just because I'm not here for the purpose of higher education doesn't mean I should neglect the assignments."

"You just said you wanted to help."

"I'll think about it. Perhaps Sam will come with me. College bars aren't…"

"Your thing?" he finished her sentence.

"Precisely." She gave him a little smile and a wave and headed across the quad to her own building.

Booth sighed and went up to the second floor stopping in front of room 217. There was a strange smell emanating from under the door. Booth turned his key in the lock, and his mouth dropped open in shock.

There was a boy sitting on one of the beds, a bong in front of him, and several small and illegal plants adorned the windowsill. Great. He wasn't supposed to have a roommate.

"Hey man or should I say roomie!" the guy said. "I'm Chuck." He took a hit from the bong and coughed. Well, that explained the smell. And he couldn't make any arrests or even threaten; his cover would be blown on the first day. Assimilate, he reminded himself. It was that one word that kept him from calling the cops on Chuck. God, he hated that word.

"Hey, you're not gonna narc on me are you man? You're cool, right?" Chuck asked, as though sensing his inner dilemma. He ran a hand through dirty, scruffy hair and pleaded with Booth with red rimmed green eyes.

Booth sighed and nodded, trying not to breathe in too deep. He flopped on the bed and opened his physics textbook. It may as well have been written in Mandarin Chinese. How was he ever going to pass this class?

**A/N: I hope everyone has a good week! I also hope you liked this chapter. I apologize if things are still a bit slow. I type what comes to mind. Thanks for reading!!**


	3. Prelude to the bar

**A/N: Is it possible to have writer's block on one fic and not another? I've never really experienced it that way that I can remember, but it's sure happening with this one. My apologies. It's frustrating me to no end. But, here I am, attempting to write a decent update. It might be a bit on the short side, thanks to my writer's block issue. Even so, please enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: Prelude to the bar**

Brennan opened the door to the dorm room she shared with Sam. It was unlocked, which meant the girl was there. She was stretched out on her bed, watching a DVD. She put it on pause and glanced at Brennan.

"Hey there girlie! How was class?"

"It was informative. How was your morning?"

"Decent. I have the same prof for chem that taught my summer term course. Good times."

"Listen Sam, I've been invited to go to a bar tonight. I was wondering if you'd be interested in going with me."

"Sure thing! I'm always up for the bar scene. We just gotta be back before the stupid curfew goes into effect. Sure hope they catch that killer soon." She shook her head. "So, who invited you?"

"Someone in my physics class."

"A guy huh? Wow, that was fast work, it's only the first day of fall term! Is he hot?" She gave Brennan a sly smile.

Sam had men on the brain. Brennan turned her own brain to Sam's last question. Was Booth hot? Angela thought so, and had explained the term, but what did she think? She knew he was well structured, a very nice male specimen, but hot?

Finally, she replied, "He's very nice, aesthetically speaking."

Sam nodded her head up and down. "Name?"

"Riley Jordan."

"Nice ass?"

Brennan's forehead crinkled. "I suppose so."

"You haven't looked?! Good god, girl, what is wrong with you? We'll have to remedy that tonight at the bar."

"I'm just looking for a friendly type of relationship with him Sam," Brennan tried.

"Never say never. I had a boyfriend last year who was taking physics. Now, I'm not saying there's any connection, but wow, was he good in the sack!"

Brennan was about to explain that there was no way there could be any connection between taking physics and sexual prowess, but instead decided to abandon the topic.

Sam checked her watch and shut off the DVD. "I gotta jet or I'm gonna be late for English. Catch ya later Leslie!" She grabbed her backpack from the floor and left the room with a wave. Brennan stood there for a moment, feeling as though she'd been caught in a small whirlwind.

She sat on her own bed and pulled out her physics textbook. She still had some time before she had to leave for biology.

Booth was about ready to strangle Chuck and shove his body under the bed. He kept talking to him, and offering him 'munchies' that he'd grabbed from the vending machines in the common room. It was annoying as hell. He'd caught a brief respite when he'd excused himself to step outside and call the police to tell them about Jake Schrader's behavior. It was over far too quickly. He'd been so close to starting a meaningless conversation with the cop he was talking to just to suck up time. Finally, he'd admitted defeat and gone back to his room. He'd unpacked quickly and now lay back on his bed, trying yet again to decipher the physics text.

Chuck waved a bag in his face. "Get that away from me," he mumbled.

"C'mon dude! They're Funions! Everyone loves Funions!"

Resisting the urge to knock Chuck unconscious with the heavy book, Booth grabbed the bag from him and tossed it to the other side of the room. Chuck, as predicted, went after it. Booth laid the open book across his face. It wouldn't do if he flunked out. Yea, sure, they'd make sure he stayed in the class because of the investigation, but if Bones found out…

Then it hit him. Zach. He knew this stuff. It would be a kick to his pride to call Zach for help, but better that than to have Bones on his ass about failing tests and neglecting the reading. That was one of the reasons she shouldn't be here. He shouldn't be worrying about flunking a stupid physics class that didn't matter, but here he was, giving good consideration to calling the Medico-Legal Lab's resident physics dweeb so as not to appear stupid in the eyes of a girl. God, it was like college all over again. Except this time, the physics club wasn't at his disposal. He only had Zach.

"Sure you don't want the Funions?" Chuck's voice floated to his ears and he could feel rather than see the bag dangling over his head yet again. Right before he was about to jam the bag down Chuck's throat, his watch beeped. Time for biology. He'd call Zach tomorrow. And swear him to secrecy.

"Wow, look at the time. Gotta go to class!" He was gone in the blink of an eye, trying to shake the homicidal thoughts from his head.

"How do I look?" Sam asked, coming into their room from the bathroom down the hall. Brennan eyed the red leather pants and halter top and searched for an adjective.

"You look…nice."

Sam's shoulders slumped a bit. "We gotta work on you a bit hun." She eyed Brennan. "Hey, you're not ready."

Brennan looked down at herself. She was in the same slacks and blouse she'd put on that morning. "Yes I am. As soon as Riley shows up, we can leave." She'd told Booth after biology that she and Sam would be going with him. He told her he'd pick them up at their room at 8. She'd insisted that they could get there on their own, but he hadn't been receptive to them walking around at night, even just down the street. She hadn't felt like arguing so she'd given in. Hopefully, he wouldn't get used to it.

"Oh no Les, you are not going to go to a bar with a hot guy looking like a frumpy librarian. Not on my watch."

"Perhaps he likes frumpy librarians," Brennan pointed out, wanting to get Sam onto another topic that didn't involve her changing. "Besides this type of clothing is all I own."

Sam scrutinized her carefully. "I think we're about the same size. We'll give it a try." She strode to the small wardrobe on her side of the room, and flung the twin doors open. "Let's see here…black I think." She pulled out a pair of leather pants and a low cut light blue sleeveless top with no back save for several strings that were meant to be tied to pull the top together.

Brennan balked immediately. "I am not wearing that."

"Oh, yes you are. If it fits anyway, and I think it will. Look, you want this guy or what?"

"I never said anything of the sort."

"Go get changed. I'll keep Romeo waiting here until you do, so if you want to get out of here, you better scoot!" She handed the clothing off to Brennan and gave her back a gentle shove toward the door.

When she opened it, there was Booth, fist raised to knock. "Hello Riley," she said, rearranging her arms around the pile of leather and cotton in her arms, making it less visible to his suddenly curious eyes.

"Hey Leslie. What's all this?"

"Apparently it's my outfit for the evening. Excuse me." She sidled past him and made her way to the bathroom.

"Hello there! I'm Sam, Leslie's roomie." Booth shook the proffered hand. "Wow, Les wasn't kidding."

"What'd she say?" Now he was really curious.

"That you were smokin' hot."

"She said that?" Somehow, he couldn't imagine his Bones using that term.

"Well, not in so many words, but I got what she was sayin'. Come on in." She stepped behind him to grab the door, sneaking a look at his backside as he walked in. "_Very nice. I won't let you pass this up Les. No way, no how_."

Brennan glowered at herself in the mirror. This was not her. But maybe it was Leslie Tylor. She tilted her head and turned to her side. The pants did look good on her. A little tight, but nothing she couldn't deal with. The top was another story however. Not that it didn't fit. It did. The problem was the air hitting her bare back. She didn't like that at all. She checked her hair. It was fine, hanging down and recently brushed. She was ready. Hopefully Sam didn't have anything else in store for her.

She exited the bathroom and made her way back to the room, opening the door with an "Ok, I'm ready. Let's go."

Booth started staring. She sighed loudly. "What?"

"You look good." It was amazing what a change of clothes could accomplish. She seemed even more confident when she heard his compliment, her back and shoulders becoming just a bit straighter. He felt his mouth drop open a little as he looked his fill. She looked more than good; she looked…well, to borrow a phrase from Sam, smokin' hot.

He felt his body respond to her as his eyes landed on her breasts, the top revealing more cleavage than he was used to seeing on any woman. Uh, oh. Not good. Hopefully she didn't notice the bulge in his pants. And that went for Sam too. He had a feeling the girl would have a few things to say about that.

His gaze landed back on her face as she said, "Thank you." Brennan felt a small smile come to her face. She felt less ridiculous now. If only he'd stop staring. She wasn't used to that kind of attention from him.

"The man's right Les. You look awesome! I'm glad that stuff fit you. No one'll be able to take their eyes off you tonight."

Booth's own eyes narrowed at Sam's statement. He didn't like the thought of strange college boys ogling his partner. He, on the other hand, could ogle as much he wanted. Or as much as she'd allow. And it seemed she'd reached her limit.

Unable to withstand the sudden tension in the room that had come with his staring, Brennan said, "Close your mouth Riley. Let's get out of here."

"I second that. The night is young!" Sam called, leading them out the door.

**A/N: I hope that was ok. I hate blocks. But, now I have something to write about next chap; their trip to the bar! So, hopefully, the wait won't be too awful long. Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it!**


	4. Monkeys in a Bar

**A/N: All right, here I am updating this fic…finally! It won my update poll, so I figured I'd better get a move on. I rethought the plot since I'd forgotten it completely, so hopefully it'll still be decent. Please accept my apology for the delay and enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: Monkeys in a bar**

The moment Sam pushed the door to the bar open, Brennan was in hell. The place was loud, packed, and smelled like beer. How could Booth even expect her to observe, much less think straight? Sam, apparently comfortable in their surroundings, disappeared into the crowd immediately. She turned around and grabbed Brennan by the hand, tugging her after her into the mass of people. Booth followed, also appearing to be at ease.

"It's a little crowded, don't you think?" Brennan called over the noise.

"It's like this every year. People need to unwind after the start of a new semester. It's like tradition," Sam replied. "Over there!"

"What?!" she responded at equal volume.

Her roommate pointed to an inexplicably empty table in the far corner. "There!"

She tugged on Booth's sleeve to get his attention and the three wove their way around the crowd to the table, where Brennan discovered the reason the table was empty. She yelped and jumped out of her seat, giving Booth a clear view of her backside.

"Leslie?"

"Yes?" Brennan replied through clenched teeth.

"Your ass is wet."

"I know that. There is beer or some sort of drink on my seat."

Then he started laughing and she wanted nothing more than to smack him for it.

"Want me to clean it up?" He was reaching for the napkin dispenser in the center of the table.

"What? No!" How dare he?

Ignoring her, he grabbed a napkin and cleaned up the chair for her.

"Oh."

"Oh, what?"

"Never mind. Thank you." She sat down and squirmed uncomfortably, hoping her pants would dry quickly. Sam, watching the whole exchange, gave her a knowing look, then skipped to the bar to order them something to drink.

"This was a mistake," Brennan commented once she was gone.

"Coming here? No way, it brings back memories."

"Maybe for you. Drunken fights, clandestine trysts in the corner with some mystery woman?"

"Yeah."

Brennan scoffed and thought of her physics book. It was basic physics, but reviews were always nice. She'd rather be reading. She felt hideously out of place here, and it was beginning to wear her earlier confidence down a bit.

"Hey there beautiful," a voice said. Brennan glanced up.

"Excuse me?" She was not the only one who'd said that. She looked at Booth, whose look of suspicion matched her own.

She glared at him briefly before turning to the owner of the voice. "Were you addressing me?"

"You're the only beautiful girl I see around here. Wanna go somewhere and talk?"

"I am not a girl. And I'm also not interested."

"Damn right you're not."

Another icy glare was sent in Booth's direction. The guy shrugged. "All right, your loss." He walked off and Sam returned with a pitcher of beer.

"Did I just see you turn down a perfectly nice specimen of the male persuasion?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at Brennan.

"You did. He was presumptuous."

"Uh...huh." She leaned close to Brennan's ear. "Got it bad for Riley?"

Got what?

"Got what?" she voiced her mind's question.

"_It_ Les, the hots, you wanna take him home and jump him, you know?"

"No, I don't know, but I certainly do not want to do either of those things."

"If you say so." She glanced up. "Hey, where'd tall, dark, and studly go anyway?"

Brennan looked around and saw Booth by the entrance talking with Brad Runyan of the basketball team. He led them over to the general area they were occupying and another empty table. The guys pulled out chairs and one of them went to the bar. Booth stayed chatting with them for awhile, then spoke again to Brad. The guy pointed to a row of bar stools and Booth was gone.

Confused, Brennan tried to follow his route through the crowd but lost him immediately. Usually he stood out in a crowd, but not in this one. Perhaps it was the casual clothes. Those jeans did fit him rather nicely. Her musings were interrupted by a tap on her shoulder. Sam.

"C'mon girl, get some beer in you! Don't worry; he'll be back. You look too good to ignore."

"I'd rather not drink. I am going to change this awful music though." She got up and made a beeline for the jukebox, scrolling through the various choices until she found one that was a little less noise, and a little more music.

Booth approached the bar stools and hopped onto one next to the redhead. "Hey Erica."

She turned from her drink, a smile instantly lighting her face. "Hey! Riley right?"

"That's right."

"It's good to see you. Thanks again for…you know."

"No problem. So, you from around here?" She hadn't made eye contact once. Maybe Bones was onto something. Nah, what did Bones know about crushes?

"No, I'm from Pennsylvania. Far enough away for independence, but not too far from family."

He nodded. "That's where I'm from too."

"No kidding?"

"Nope."

Her smile, if possible, grew. "That's so cool." They continued the small talk, finding they had a lot in common. She wasn't good at physics, but it satisfied a gen ed credit, she liked graphic novels, and loved hockey; her cousin even played in the minor leagues. But, all that was irrelevant. Time to get down to business.

"So, tell me about Jake."

She flushed at that, and took a deep breath. "We met last year. He was so nice, a really cool guy. But, during the summer break, he got really possessive, and I decided I'd had enough. I was going to break up with him, and he found out. You know the rest."

"Has he ever tried to hit you before?"

"Maybe a couple of times, but never in public like that. He has a real short temper, and this past summer we fought a lot. He doesn't really treat girls well. I've seen how he acts around them. It's pretty barbaric. Another thing I grew to dislike about him. But he wasn't always like that," she added quickly. "He used to be so sweet."

Yeah, they all used to be so sweet. Booth had heard that before. "Have you ever thought of pressing charges? For assault?"

"Oh god, no! I couldn't do that. I know what he does is wrong, but…"

"You love him?"

"No. I can't believe I'm telling you all this." She thought a moment. "Maybe I could."

"You can. I'll help you." This would get Jake in for questioning, and maybe force him to own up to what he'd done to the poor girl. He'd call ahead to the department and make sure that when they brought him in, they questioned him as to his whereabouts when the murders occurred. Just to cover bases. Erica's statement about his treatment of women made him seem more suspicious. If he had connections with the victims, then…well, progress on the case could be made. It also meant Erica could be in danger.

"Come on, we can get it done right now."

"Now? I'm not sure I'm ready now."

"If you don't now, then you never will." He took her hand and gave her a smile, which worked like a charm. He felt a bit guilty for practically forcing her to do this, but lives were at stake, including her own. He had a job to do, after all.

Sam glared icily at the bar doors as Booth and Erica exited. "What's he doing leaving with her? Cradle robber huh?"

"It would seem so," Brennan replied, observing the crowd. The more alcohol was imbibed, the more the people at the bar were reverting to their baser instincts. Several fights had already broken out, two of them over women. It reminded Brennan of primate behavior. This would make a most interesting journal article. But she hadn't brought her notebook to jot down observations!

"Man, I thought he was into you. I was so sure."

"Don't worry about it. As I said, I'm only interested in friendship. If he wants to leave with Erica, he has every right to." She'd find what that was about later. She'd known he wanted to talk to her about Jake.

"That her name? If you ask me, she's got nothing on you." Sam finished her glass of beer and cast around for a dance partner. Finding a suitable one, she glanced at Brennan. "You want me to find someone for you too?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine." She continued to watch as Sam approached the guy she'd picked out. She had thought she'd changed since college. Grown more confident, sure of herself. But this, this whole evening, had caused her to revert to her past self, the Temperance Brennan who wanted to do nothing but hole up in her room, study, and never have contact with anyone else. Sure, it all paid off during finals week, but she remembered hearing that college was supposed to be a time where friendships were made, and she'd missed out on that. And now, she was living it all again.

Walking Erica home from the police station, Booth said, "That was very brave of you."

"Well, like you said, if I didn't do it then, I never would have. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be."

"You gonna be ok?'

"Yeah. He was a jerk to me and he's gonna pay for it, right? Even if he doesn't get fined or get jail time or anything like that, at least he'll be really humiliated when the cops pick him up."

Booth nodded. He'd give anything to be able to bring Jake in for questioning himself, but that damned word 'assimilate' kept popping up in his head whenever he had the urge to be a cop.

They continued walking until Booth noticed movement behind some shrubs. He put out a hand to halt Erica and whispered, "stay still." She did so, and Booth crept forward, expecting a mugger or something of the like. Either that or it was a rabbit and he was going to be embarrassed. It was neither.

"Chuck?!" Booth's roommate was sprawled behind the shrub, clutching a cloth bag of what looked like potato chips and Twinkies.

"Dude! Am I ever glad to see you! I was just going to the store for some munchies and I think I tripped over my shoelace or some shit and the next thing I know I'm behind this shrub!" He held up his bag. "See? Environmentally friendly!" He dug his other hand in his pocket. "Also, I don't have the key to our room."

Booth rolled his eyes and grabbed the room key out of his own pocket. "Here. Go back to the room, and do _not_ lose that key."

"Hakuna Matata man. No worries." He began to hum the tune to the song of the same name until he noticed Erica. "Hey! Who's the senorita?"

"None of your business."

"Hey lady! I'm Chuck."

Erica smiled and gave him a wave. "Hi Chuck, I'm…"

Booth cut her off, whispering close to her ear. "Don't encourage him, please."

Chuck walked off, staring intently at a small cut on his left hand.

"Sorry about that. He's my roommate and he's…" He couldn't think of a word to describe Chuck.

"Permanently stoned?" Erica supplied.

"Yeah, that covers it," he said with a grin, making that smile light up her face once again. When they arrived at her dorm, she stopped in front of the door.

"Thanks for walking me back, and going with me, and just, well, for everything. I'll see you in class."

"Hey, did you wanna get together and study sometime?" He asked, worry about her being the next victim prompting his invitation. She would be the next likely target if Jake was to blame. The cops wouldn't be able to hold him for long.

"I would. How about later this week?"

"Sounds good. Friday ok? We can meet in the library." He had to get going. Get back to the bar before Bones gave up on him and left.

"K. See ya!"

"Bye."

After arriving back at the bar to find it devoid of Sam and Brennan, Booth headed back to his dorm to make sure Chuck wasn't dead, or worse, snooping through his things. He might have a hard time explaining the gun buried deep in the dresser drawer. He found him crashed on the other bed, _his_ bed, surrounded by crumbs and Twinkie wrappers. Great. No way in hell was he sleeping in Chuck's bed. He tried several times to wake him up, but was unsuccessful. Then he gathered up a change of clothes and his key and left the room.

When Sam opened the door after insistent knocking, she was surprised to find Riley Jordan on the other side.

"Came crawling back, didja?"

"Excuse me?"

"The May-December thing not doin' it for ya?"

"What are you talking about?"

Brennan's voice came from within the room. "May-December refers to a relationship taking place between someone of advanced age and someone significantly younger."

"I'd say she's a little pissed," Sam said quietly.

"What? Advanced age? I am not of advanced age!"

"That depends on one's perspective," came Brennan's curt reply.

"What the hell did I do?!"

"You were so adamant about not allowing Sam and myself to walk by ourselves to the bar, yet you abandon us without even telling me what's going on, leaving us to walk ourselves back, which, by the way, yielded absolutely no problems whatsoever."

"Sorry. Look, can I crash here for the night? My roommate fell asleep in my bed with food crumbs everywhere, and there is no way I'm sleeping in his bed."

"You'll have to sleep on the floor," Brennan said at the same time as Sam said, "I'm sure Les could squeeze you in."

"The floor Riley," Brennan reiterated as Booth sat on the edge of her bed and untied his shoes.

"But Leslie," he began, giving her his best puppy dog eyes.

"Stop it. Floor."

"Fine." He gave in a little too easily, he was just that tired.

Once all three occupants were settled and the lights shut off, Brennan said, "You could have slept on the floor in your own room."

"I know."

"So why are you here?"

"I was hoping to convince you to give me the bed."

"Did you two know each other before now?" Sam's voice broke in. "Cause it sure seems like it."

"Yes, as a matter of fact. We met briefly at orientation," Brennan explained quickly.

"Ok, that makes sense. I met a guy at orientation too. Of course, this was last year and he dropped out, but he was amazing!" She would have gone on if Brennan hadn't cut in.

"Good night Sam."

"Good night Les. Good night Riley. Too bad we have classes tomorrow morning. Otherwise we could play Truth or Dare or something."

"Hey, that might not be a bad idea." Truth or Dare with Bones could be interesting.

"Good night Riley!" Brennan's voice stated firmly, putting an end to that idea.

Silence.

"Ya know I could really go for some popcorn. I noticed you guys had a microwave."

"Riley!"

"Sorry. Fine. Good night. Relax."

The next morning Jake Schrader was taken into custody, questioned, and released with a warning. All assault incidents had occurred awhile ago, and it was Erica's word against his. Nothing was found out to keep him in custody pertaining to the murders. That night, Booth called Zach for help on his physics.

"Zach?"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"It's Booth." Chuck was out on a food run, so he could speak freely, use his real name for a change. Not that Riley Jordan wasn't an awesome name.

"How's the investigation coming along?"

"It's coming. Look, I need your help."

"With the case?"

"No, with physics."

There was silence.

"Physics?"

"Yeah, I'm taking Physics 101 and can't understand any of it. I need an overview."

"But wouldn't you be exempt from failure since you're merely undercover? If that's the case, you wouldn't need to know anything."

This was not going to be easy. "Just tell me physics stuff Zach. Nothing complicated. I can't look like an idiot." _Not again_, he thought. _Never again_.

"Are you trying to impress a member of the opposite sex, because I have observed that that is a common reason for trying to obtain unnecessary knowledge."

"Just make with the facts Zach."

"I take it from your lack of response to my question that the answer is yes."

"Fine! Yes! Is that what you wanted to hear?"

He could almost see Zach's smirk. "Who is she?"

"_That _ is none of your business."

"Is it Dr. Brennan? Because that would make the most sense."

"No!" he yelled a little too quickly and a little too loudly.

"Another yes. I'm satisfied. We can begin."

The morning after, Booth met some of the basketball for a little game of HORSE. It was during this game that he received a phone call. He went to the bleachers and listened in silence for a moment.

"Thank you," he said evenly, swallowing back the nausea that hit him like punch to the gut. Taking his leave from the guys without explanation, he phoned Brennan, who was getting in some early morning studying before their next class.

"Bones? It's me."

She noticed the hitch in his voice and the tone. Something had happened.

"What is it?"

"Erica Timmerman was found dead on the quad this morning. The local PD's already there."

**A/N: Please let me know what you think. I'm not up on laws about holding people for things and about assault procedure and all that, so if I'm wrong, please ignore it. Thanks for reading!!**


End file.
